Taking 20 Podcast

We all love campaigns that have actions and reactions grounded in realism but in this episode, Jeremy asks, is the work to make things realistic worth it?  Would it be better for you to spend that time preparing the next balls to the wall adventure than determining the realistic after effects of a kobold raid against the town's grain storage?  Tune in to find out.   #Pathfinder #RPG #DungeonsandDr...

Listener Peter sent an email asking about Paizo's planned Pathfinder Nexus so I went digging through the archives and recorded interviews from PaizoCon to discuss the latest I could find. In this episode I also ask someone to bring me Jason Buhlman but not literally.  I just want to talk to him about adventure ideas.  This isn't a "bring me the head of my enemies" kind of thing. Maybe I don't need...

If you've never DM'd at a convention or one night at a gaming store, it's just a little different.  While you could try to duplicate your gaming experience you give to your normal groups, there are some tips and tricks I've learned that have made my convention games more successful.  Here are 10 tips to make your convention game as good as it can be.

Low level characters die so easily.  The game world is full of traps, monsters and all sorts of things looking to do them harm.  As a player, how to you keep your fragile character alive?  As a DM, how do you change your game to make it not quite so deadly?  After all, we don't want to go back to the bad old days when we all had multiple characters in case ours died every single game session. #Dun...

It can be hard to find a Dungeons and Dragons group to play with.  When you finally find one, it may be even harder to make the decision to leave the group.  Why should you leave a gaming group?  If you've made the decision, how do you leave your group and find another one?  Tune in this week to find out. #Pathfinder #DungeonsandDragons #DnD #RPGs www.taking20podcast.com

Game Masters, vampires are fascinating characters from both literary and RPG lore.  They are always powerful, beautiful, and mysterious, right?  Not so fast, my friends.  In today's episode we talk about some of the vampire myths, people from history who inspired them, and discuss how vampires can be used in your Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder games.   #DungeonsandDragons #Pathfinder #Dnd #Va...

We DMs tend to be quick to tell players to grab their dice during our game sessions but should we?  Before having your players make yet another roll this game session, there are some things to ask yourself.  In this episode, Jeremy discusses the times when die rolls don't make sense and takes a moment to praise another content provider:  Ginny Di who produced a similar episode previously.   #Dunge...

Running games for younger players has some similarities to running games for adults but there are some key differences that we all must be mindful of.  In this episode I interview Paul Lazrow of AdventuringPortal.com who is a professional DM for younger players.  We discuss the changes you should and should not make while running a game for children, the use of RPGs in education, and how children...

Players, do you get disheartened when your character fails their acrobatics check and slips off the ice into the freezing river?  DMs, do you worry that your PCs may not be able to make it past a point in your adventure because they could fail the skill check, ability roll, or saving throw?  In this episode, we talk about both situations and describe the design concept of failing forward when it c...

Earthfall on Golarion, much like the Cataclysm on Krynn, set the stage for the world that was to come for both good and for ill.  At first glance this appears to be just another massive comet strike but there is so much more going on behind the scenes.   Tune in to learn more about this world-shaping event.   #Pathfinder #Golarion #EarthFall

This week I get to answer some of the questions sent in to me by listeners, from how to work with players who can't game as long as others to the Kender controversy to what my favorite dessert is. You don't have to wait for mailbag episodes if you have questions.  Find me on social media @Taking20Podcast or send them to feedback@taking20podcast.com #AskADM #DungeonsandDragons #Pathfinder #DnD

There are relatively few people who thrive on interpersonal conflict and most people shy away from it in the real world.  But what about in your game or at your gaming table?  In this episode, I discuss how to handle arguments between characters, between characters and NPCs, between players and finally between players and GMs.   #DMTips #DnD #Pathfinder #DungeonsandDragons #Dungeons #Dragons

In this episode suggested by Daniel during a donation to ko-fi.com/taking20podcast, I talk about the good, bad, and ugly of allowing your players to harvest their kills and the situations you want to try to avoid if you allow it.  Also, I muttered a lot in this episode and will be going to sit in the sunshine after this to improve my mood. #DnD #Pathfinder #DungeonsandDragons

We've all been there.  We put together this little adventure of daring adventurers doing amazing things to save those that need saving.  Our bad guys are clever, the twist is unexpected and you've worked hours to make sure everything is balanced...and come game night, your players can't even be arsed to learn the quest giver's name or why clearing out the ankhegs is even important. In this episode...

By nature of any role playing game where dice are involved, death is a real possibility.  There is a huge difference, however, between one of your PCs dying and all of them.  In this episode I talk about how TPKs happen and what GMs can do before, during, and after the TPK to keep the campaign going using lessons learned from my TPK experiences in the past.

This episode idea comes courtesy of Lauren in California!   Character Downtime is mishandled by too many DMs.  They look at it as time the characters could better spend stabbing things in the face and discovering the Lost Place Settings of Korrak.  I think downtime has a place in nearly any adventure.  In this episode, I discuss why downtime is important and what activities can fill this time that...

If you'll pardon the phrase, this week Jeremy gushes over an event from the Dragonlance campaign world, Krynn:  the Cataclysm.  This world-altering event was born from the pride of one man:  the Kingpriest who developed a twisted sense of the nature of good, believed the end justified the means, and made demands of the world's gods who responded with fire followed by silence.  Jeremy discusses thi...

I was introduced to some of the wonderful members of the Venture Forth podcast a couple of months ago and I was taken aback by the quality of the podcast they produce and the extremely high quality role playing they consistently perform.  I knew I had to interview one of the cast members and Shane O'Loughlin was gracious enough to give me some time to talk about Venture Forth and conflict in a gam...

At last we wrap up the class series with the Sorcerer and the Wizard.  We're finally talking about some of those arcane spellcasters who can wield SUPREME COSMIC POWER with a tiny amount of hit points.  How should you arrange their ability scores?  What feats should you take?  Come on in and find out.   Note:  There is an error in this episode in the Pathfinder 1e section.  Strength should be your...

Today's episode comes to us from listener Brett.  Thank you for the topic suggestion! If there is Good and Evil in your world, why does Good allow Evil to remain?  Why wouldn't the forces of Good do whatever they had to in order to crush the forces of Evil?  Also, if Evil exists in the world, where would it be? If you have an idea for a topic, send it to me at feedback@taking20podcast.com.

They say a lie makes it around the world before the truth has time to get its shoes on.  Whether true or false, rumors make your game worlds feel real, lived in, alive. In this episode, we discuss the types of rumors you can include in your Dungeons and Dragons or other RPG game, tips and tricks for their use, and one situation to avoid when giving your PCs rumors. By the way, Lori works in the ca...

Another episode continuing the lore series, this time focusing on one of my favorite Big Bads:  Strahd von Zarovich.  Treating him as just another vampire does this amazing villain a disservice.  He is complex, has a rich backstory, amazing powers, and can serve as a great antagonist to the PCs, whether in Barovia or your custom home game. If you're interested in supporting the podcast, please con...

In this burboun-soaked episode, Jeremy discusses the different types of quests available, some of the variations on the themes, how to modify them by adding complications, and finally provides some tips and tricks for good quest design.

In this episode Jeremy talks about the different rules for Critical Hits and Misses in Pathfinder, Starfinder, and 5e; discusses some alternate rules and gives advice for how he handles these situations in his games. Finally, he gives some advice about what food you should NEVER bring into the bedroom.

Elementals are a foreign concept in a lot of ways.  Creatures made up of water or air that are relatively intelligent, can be summoned or spontaneously created, and aren't just a humanoid in an element suit just seem weird.  If you ever wandered where they come from, what they can do and how the fight, give this episode a listen.   I want to specifically thank Keith Ammann and his great book The M...